Part 2: The Race against Time

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After three excruciating days, between balancing classes and practice and reaching the goal, it was a slew of work on both Charlotte and Deuce's shoulders. There were times when one felt like forfeiting to the deal, but the other was there to get them back on their feet before anymore doubt was planted in their heart. Heck, Charlie wasn't even sure the mystery Bottle of Wishes would help her in the slightest, and she was having secret doubts about the object, and tossing it when the time was right.

But lo and behold, something was going to change her mind, few days before the event.

After forcing herself to practice twice as much on her song, to Crowley's *cough* demands *cough*, Charlie was worried she might strain her vocal cords before the night. So, she cut her practice time in half to let herself rest. No way was she gonna let Crowley ruin her voice!

She got a message from Ortho saying for her to meet them by the tree ASAP. And didn't hesitate to grab her things and run out the door.

By the time she and Grim made it there, the one thing they were met with was...

A big-ass pile of wishing stars.

Charlie felt a surprised smile takeover her lips as she joined the others.

"D-Deuce...what did you....?!"

"Like I said: I took up my part of the deal and surpassed the goal!" Deuce stood by the pile with a triumphant smile.

"That's right! The set number of both you, Nii-San, and Deuce, the quota, was 150 each!" Ortho reminded, replaying the recording of the deal days ago. "It's over 300!"

Charlie felt her heart beat speed up, and carefully eyes the bottle in her bag, sitting atop of her jacket like a jewel. Maybe this wasn't a prank....'Color me shook...'

"Hold on! You actually go that many in just three days?! B-But how?!" Idia was flabbergasted that a first year bested him. "That's not funny! You'd actually go to extreme measures, just to get me outside, and lie about this-"

"It's not a lie! Count em!" Deuce nods, standing his ground.

"He's right. I just finished counting them. 300 exact." Trey came around pile.

"Whoa....that's awesome, Deuce! How's you manage to get that many in a short span of time?" Ortho gawked.

"I used any free time given to me, and systematically had gone through any students. But a lot of weren't that into it, so I had a bit of a setback.....but the , something odd overtook me." Deuce recounts. "It's like....something wishful just came over me, and...a voice said to me I shouldn't give up!"

Charlie tensed a bit, hoping she wouldn't get caught. But thankfully, Deuce's slight density tracked off her tail, and she was safe.

"So as a stargazer, I worked my butt off for the sake of tonight!" Deuce finished. "Now, you pay up your part of the deal, Shroud-senpai!"

"Uh...a-about that...." Idia fumbled for a correct response. "I'm sure you said something about completing the dance as well as gathering the starts! S-So technically speaking, there's still that part to complete! And until then, I'm not going anywhere!"

"Uh, Idia...you weren't paying attention ONCE during the practice runs."

"Eh?"

"Deuce's dancing has improved a lot more than the last. Parts of it are perfect." Trey said.

"Oh....I see..." Idia mumbled. 'I didn't think he'd actually take the commitment to heart....Why's Deuce-shi even taking this so seriously? Yet...Ortho's having the time of his life...guess I've no choice.....'

Charlie started to sign something with her hands, making the group confused.

"Huh? Charlie? You okay?" Deuce asked. Once she nods in response, he asked, "Then why can't you talk? And what's with the weird hand...flapping?"

"She's using sign language." Trey chuckled at the first year's confused face. "She told me before that she learned to communicate with children who were hearing-impaired for local events in her hometown. Just three courses and she mastered it that fast."

"Then...why is she using it now?"

"She's saying...." Trey watched the girl who made rapid hand moves to spell out what she was saying. " 'I'm letting my voice rest for the time being until the event, and can use sign language as my voice'." She then turned to Idia and spelled something out. "Now she's saying, 'Just admit defeat, Idia. Deuce won and there's nothing you can do to change the outcome'." At that, Charlie smiles, folding her hands together to say she was done.

Idia was silent for a few seconds until, ".......o.......okay.....I guess I won't....not be playing the drums from a recording."

"YES!!!" Deuce cheered, and started doing a little victory dance in his place.

'I knew he could do it. Wishing bottle or not....' Charlie sighed in her mind.

"Thanks a lot!!"

"Nice job, Deuce." Trey patted his shoulder. "All three will be present on the day of the ceremony. The headmaster will be satisfied to hear this."

"Minna-San~!" All turned eyes to the headmaster's striding figure.

"There he is now!" Grim perched on Charlie's shoulder for a better view.

"Well, that saves us time for finding him." Trey laughed.

"Headmaster! Shroud has agreed to to play the drums on the day of the ceremony!" Deuce announced.

"Do my ears deceive me? Is this true?! Amazing! And here I though, it's be next to impossible..." Crowley chuckles. "I'm looking for ward to this day! ....is what I wish could be said...." he then frowned. "I just found something alarming...."

"What do you mean?"

"I checked several weather forecasts for the following week. And on the day of the ceremony, heavy rain will be introduced. They've also predicted thunder and lightning. It's going to be terrible."

"Wait...so you're saying...the ceremony's off?!"

"I'm afraid so...with how things are looking drastically. In no way can I afford to place any students in danger. And with that kind of weather on the way, the broadcasters will be in no position to stream the event..." Crowley looked forlornly at the crestfallen faces of his students. "I understand how deeply concerned all of you are. You've all put your time and effort into practicing the ritual, and you Luchessi, into your song. And I, too, was looking forward to bolstering the school's rep-I MEAN, to not see such a significant event be canceled at such short notice. Either way announce that the event is canceled at the first second, or pray that the weather be reduced before the night....*sigh* what to do...."

"Let's wait until the day and decide whether or not we should cancel!" Deuce steps forward. "I don't want to be canceled either! We should continue our practices until the day!"

"Are you certain about this? If it does get canceled, all the practice will go down the drain... you still intend to carry-on?"

"We can't turn back when we've come so far! From now until the day of the ceremony, I'm practicing 24/7! We've got this!" Deuce turned to his seniors for backup.

"Although I don't think it's logical to be acting so recklessly...."

"I-I agree with Trey-shi!"

"What...But we'll never get the opportunity to do something like this ever again! No matter how low our chances are, even if the possibility of the weather being clear is 0%, I want to make the most of this! Charlie! You agree with me right???"

Deuce let his eyes land on his lone female friend, who, although shocked that he wants her to state her opinion, she was torn by the two sides. She didn't want to risk catching a cold,

And risking her friendship with him, but if she learnt anything in her lifetime, is that you only live once, and you need to make the most of what your life gives you.

So, she did the only thing she could do. And nod.

"See?! Charlie believes me! She'd say the same thing too, wouldn't you?!"

"Well... he does have a point. If all the weather is nothing more than a fake report, that ceremony's going to be a mess. And Riddle is not going to let us live this down...." Trey thought. "You're right, Deuce." He looked up with new courage. "I'm on board if you still are."

"Huh?! I might've lost Trey, but I'm still opposed to doing this!!" Idia shouts.

Charlie signed something and Trey translated. " 'Need we remind you that you still lost on our bet? By the looks of things you're in no position to rebel, hothead'. Her words, Not mine."

"Wha-?!"

"It's as Trey and Charlie-San claim, nii-san!"

"No way...m-my final attack...just dashed!!!"

"This is like that online game stream where you kept saying, 'losers don't get to go around looking cool'. Remember? I've a playback of audio somewhere on me...."

"Ugh! Okay....I'll do it...."

"THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!" Deuce started crying happy tears. "It's a race against time!"

"Well....it seems you really are model students! So, until the ceremony! I leave you now!" Crowley bows.

While Crowley was walking off, Ortho stayed silent, his body and servos clicking with every second.

"Huh? Ortho, what's up?" Grim asked, the first to notice the little robot's odd behavior.

"I've just run a simulation of Cloud movement patterns over the school with results of the weather radar." He looked scared. "The headmaster is right! There's gonna be lots of dark clouds passing overhead that day!"

"But it's not the actual results, right? We still have yet to know what will happen!" Deuce protested.

"Right, but it's still strange. No matter how correctly I run calculations, The percentage of it being clear weather is zero..." Ortho sighed. "I had a clear image of of seeing nii-San, Charlie, and you guys performing under a sky full of stars many times...."

"In that tale, the wooden doll became a real boy by the end of the journey. If we keep our belief up, we just might get what we find!" Deuce declared.

"Yes.... I wish I could help you guys in the star send-off somehow...."

However, unknown to the others, Charlie has secretly whispered Ortho's words with another small handful of wishing dust.

—2 days until the "Star Delivery" ritual —

Idia started ranting within the crevices of his brain as he watched the others practice. 'On the big day, a huge cloud will envelope the skies right over the school and cause the rainfall to occur...For me, it'll be the best thing ever! I'd so straight to the happy end!! But...If the ritual got called off, Ortho will be sad...and as his brother...I should do something about it!' He clears his throat and spoke up, "That being said, even I can't change the weather... aah, what should we do..."

"Nii-San?" Ortho called out to him to get his attention. "Trey-san said that we're wrapping up practice for today."

"Yea...Got it. It's earlier that usual..."

"Deuce said he wants to hang the 'Wishing Stars' he collected." Trey joined them as he saw Deuce hanging the stars while Charlie and Grim held some in their arms and passed them one by one to him.

"Oh, I'll help too!" Ortho ran over.

"Thanks! We could use an extra set of hands!" Charlie smiles. With Ortho helping out, the last of the stars were placed onto the tree.

"Whew... that's the end of them. I sure collected a lot...." Deuce looks up at his hard work with a small smile.

"You're not hanging up your own 'Wishing Stars'?" Grim perked up behind him.

"Mine? Oh yea... I forgot about it because I was too busy collecting the students'..."

"Me too. Let's hang our "Wishing Stars" too." Trey backs him up as they gather theirs.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

"Right. Then...My wish is...'I want to be a police officer'."

"Ooh〜 It's a perfect job for someone as serious as you, Deuce-san!"

"More specifically, I want to be a magic executive officer, it's a bit of a challenge."

"That's the elite department that handles criminalities by magic, right?"

"Yeah. I think it's a tough road to walk, but I'm preparing. If I work in a proper occupation, I think mom will be assured."

"You sure think a lot about your mom, Deuce-san. I hope your wish comes true!"

The bluenette blushed lightly at the younger shroud's supportive message. "Hah....thank you."

"I'll go next." Trey stood up. "Mine's a bit hard to say after hearing Deuce's but, mine would be 'To have the latest food processors available'."

"That wish is so you, Clover-senpai!" Deuce snickered.

"It's a nice wish! Give me some nice treats if it comes true!!" Grim points.

"Yea, right. Hope it'll come true."

"Also, Grim, Clover-senpai's handmade treats are Heartslabyul Student's special rights! And yet you come and eat like it's yours every 'Unbirthday Party'..."

"I went together with Charlie, too! Don't complain to only me!"

"Okay, you two. Don't fuss over such a thing." Trey settler between the two's fight. Now you two. What will you do?"

"Huh? Do I have to wish?" Idia tensed.

"It's not required, but..."

"I don't think you'll wish for something embarrassing, so why don't you do it while you remember it?" Ortho supports.

"Wait, you know your brother's wish?" Charlie asked.

"Yep! Nii-San always wishes for the same thing every year!

"Well then it must be something heart-pounding enough for him to wish for every year right?"

"D-Don't raise the hurdle so much... Uhh, my wish is... 'I hope for "Star Rouge" to have a continuation'!"

" 'Star Rouge'?" "What exactly is that?"

"Ugh, uncultured swines...." Idia spat.

"It's a game that Nii-San and I got addicted to when we were just kids!" Ortho explains. "They announced a continuation of it long ago, but then the development team disbanded...Nii-san's always waited for the team to starts working on it again."

"Is it really that interesting?" Grim twitched his ears.

" 'Interesting'? That's a dumb question!!! 'Star Rouge' is a first-person shooting game that has the most advanced graphics! It's about a grand story that takes place in the galaxy, not only story fans, even SF fans gave them a nice review! I still remember when I first started playing it: The shining stars... fierce attacks from the enemy ships... the comrade's cheers from the wireless device... That feeling, is the most precious one throughout my gaming life...-!" Idia rambled on, getting lost in his world on gaming.

"Wow, he's that dedicated to it..."

"And it shows how much you love the game."

"Well, Yea!"

Then, a small vibration had gone off, catching everyone's attention.

"Huh? What was that noise?"

"Nii-San! Oi, Nii-San!" But No one was on the other end of the line to answer back. "He's not responding... did he got mad and cut the call?"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to say anything to hurt you!"

"It's okay, Nii-san's just shy. But... would you be willing to my wish? Oh yea, and don't forget Charlie's!"

"Huh? But you don't have a star..." Grim sat up in her arms.

"Because, I'm not a student, that's why. The same as you guys, Grim and Charlie-san: both Nii-San and I count as one student."

"But even so, you'd tell us?"

"Yup! I want you to listen to my wish and deliver them to the stars ...Can't I? AndCharlie too? We may not have what we want when it comes to Night Raven, but we do have people that can listen to us and hear our prayers!"

Deuce looked unsurely, but relented with a smile. "...of course you can. Let's hear I t!"

"My wish is... 'For nii-san's wish to come true'."

"Wow, you too, sure think a lot about your family..." Deuce breathed.

"Well, Family is the most important thing for me!" Ortho giggles. "That's why I thought it'd be nice if brother's wish gets delivered to the stars like the in the fairytale!"

"What a sweet little kid~!" Charlie squealed. "And, actually, Ortho. I can relate to you. Family means a lot to me more than anything in life."

"Oh?" He looked up at her curiously.

"Yes." She started up at the tree with nostalgia. "You see, several years ago back in my homeworld, both my mom and dad have taught me something valuable in life....that when you make new friends, and you start to bond with them as time goes on, your friendship becomes stronger. And very soon, you start to consider them... as your family."

"Family? But how can you be family if you aren't related?"

"That's the thing that they told me: 'blood ties don't matter when it comes to family'." She kneels to his height. "It's bound by something stronger than that. And that's love. Like the love you have for your brother, the ones I have from my brother and sister, and towards The people I've met in this world."

"You... consider us as your family?" Deuce asked.

"Of course! Riddle, Ace, Cater, Jack, Azul, Kalim, everyone that I get on good terms with!" She stood up. "You guys have given me so much to learn during my time here, and every day holds something new. And I cherish it with all my heart!" Charlie smiled as she holds onto Deuce's hands with hope. "Which is why I made a promise to myself. And my wish would be: 'I wish that Whomever I consider a part of my family, I will protect them with everything I have until the end of my days'. That is the wish that I desire, and that I pray you and Trey and Idia will take to the skies with every ounce of dedication in your hearts."

Deuce felt a small tear gathering in the corner of his eye as he heard Charlie's heartfelt wish. "Then...I'll do the dance with all my heart to make both your's and Ortho's wishes be delivered to the stars even if you two don't have a 'Wishing Star'!" He clasped his hands in hers.

"Ehehe... thank you, Deuce-san! I hope it'll be a clear sunny day on the "Star Delivery" ritual!" Ortho laughs.

"Thanks, Deuce. I really appreciate it." Charlie breathes.

Back up in Idia's room, the eldest brother overheard everything, I couldn't help blush lightly and both his brother's and Charlotte's wishes.

'I wanted to end the call, but I hurried and cut off only the microphone...but I'm glad I did that since I heard both their wishes.' He smiles, but once ortho had mentioned the weather on the day of the ritual, his mind went back to earlier today.

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"Huh? Ortho, what's up?" Grim asked, the first to notice the little robot's odd behavior.

"I've just run a simulation of Cloud movement patterns over the school with results of the weather radar." He looked scared. "The headmaster is right! There's gonna be lots of dark clouds passing overhead that day!"

"But it's not the actual results, right? We still have yet to know what will happen!" Deuce protested.

"Right, but it's still strange. No matter how correctly I run calculations, The percentage of it being clear weather is zero..." Ortho sighed. "I had a clear image of of seeing nii-San, Charlie, and you guys performing under a sky full of stars many times...."

"In that tale, the wooden doll became a real boy by the end of the journey. If we keep our belief up, we just might get what we find!" Deuce declared.